How much “suspension of disbelief do you need?”

I just want to enjoy the music any way I can. Live, recorded, in my home, in my car, out in public I just want to enjoy the music. You keep claiming and starting the same posts as your standard for a music lover needs to be a live performance. That is a very subjective view that you are entitled to but your view does not have to be the standard for all others. Actually live performances can be a crap shoot as to the quality of said performance. There are 100’s of factors that could influence not only the end sound but also the performance of the musicians. If you think your listening skills are superior to all others and only you can hear that difference goid for you. The rest of us will just enjoy the music the way we like it, 

Certainly recording dependent to some extent. Close miked intimate high resolution recordings sure bring performers in room. Large scale classical orchestras not so much.

Also has much to do with imaging, sound stage system able to reproduce.

For me, this is aspect of performance that should improve with ever increasing levels of resolution system able to reproduce.

Yes, there is a psychological side to listening, but chasing, "...the sound of a live performance on a recording" is a dubious or possibly dissatisfying goal. Aspiring to faithfully reproduce audio as mastered advances the listening experience and satisfaction.   

Listening to a live Led Zeppelin concert is an automatic disappointment. Why aspire to that??? You’d be listening to pro amps, pro speakers, mixed by a guy who was 3 sheets to the wind only 2 hours before, through god-only-knows what stage speakers…..

Nope. Not for me. Live concert is the very last thing I want! 

Waiting For Columbus is good. Dissimilar to when I saw ’em at the Riviera. Excellent point that the live PA mix was/is mono. Unless you are fifth row seats like I got for ZZ in ’74, that’s all you hear at a reinforced show.

The point is why would one want to trick themselves into thinking that a Cosmic Crisp is a blood orange?

"You got to keep ’em seperated."

Unless pretending works for you.

The only goal for me is to enjoy the music.